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Russia is against attempts of turning UNHRC into an instrument of political pressure

Russia cannot agree with the attempts of transforming the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) into an instrument of political pressure

GENEVA, February 29 (Itar-Tass) — Russia cannot agree with the attempts to transform the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) into an instrument of political pressure, RF Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Gennady Gatilov said on Wednesday at the 19th session of the UNHRC underway here.

“We cannot agree with attempts to transform the Council into an instrument of political pressure, to divide states into good and bad ones, into the students and examiners, to dissolve the interstate nature of the leading UN human rights body,” he stressed.

According to Gatilov, “It is imperative that existing problems should be settled by the peoples themselves, without coercion and interference from the outside, in peaceful forms and within the legal framework, through the national dialogue and attaining common accord on ways to conduct urgent reforms.”

“Russia is firmly opposed to any violence against the civilian population, but no less strongly - against force interference from the outside in support of one of the sides in internal conflicts,” the Russian deputy foreign minister said. “Unacceptable are situations where actions taken under the pretext of human rights protection lead to their massive violations, but from the other side, including the death of hundreds of peaceful civilians.”

Speaking about Russia’s priorities in the field of human rights, Gatilov said that “the main target of the Russian socio-economic development concept is raising the standards of human welfare.”

The diplomat said that one of the main tasks of the international community is “the prevention and suppression of ethnic and religious extremism, racism and racial discrimination, overcoming xenophobia and intolerance.”

The UNHRC regular session will run until March 23.

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